Wearing elements for blast furnace stockline



y 1966 D. CORBIN ETAL 3,250,523

WEARING ELEMENTS FOR BLAST FURNACE STOCKLINE Filed May 1, 1963 2% Wm M) ii ii i| i i; d INVENTORS 1 I 040w. CORE/N and 9 JA MES u. MUMDELL tfomev United States Patent 3,250,523 WEARING ELEMENTS FOR BLAST FURNACE STOCKLINE Daryl Corbin and James M. Mundeli, Gary, Ind., assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 1, 1963, Ser. No. 277,276 8 Claims. (Cl. 266-43) This invention relates to wearing elements for the stockline zone of a blast furnace wall and, more particularly, to improvements that provide a stronger and lighter wall construction.

To protect against abrasive wear from material being charged into a blast furnace, the stockline zone of the furnace is usually provided with steel wearing elements which are embedded in the brickwork of its lining and have exposed flanges or wear-plates at one end thereof that furnish a protective covering or armor for its inner surface. Stockline wearing elements of this character, however, have been troublesome because of their tendency to loosen and fall from an operative lining position into the furnace. This tendency to fall into the furnace,

, moreover, is increased by the weight of the wearing ele ments which places a heavy load on the brickwork of the furnace lining.

One object of this invention is to provide a blast furnace stockline wearing element of improved construction that reduces the weight of the steel to be supported by the brickwork of the lining. A further and related object is to increase the strength of the furnace wall in the stockline zone from the standpont of its ability to hold its wearing elements in their operative protective positions.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description.

In the drawings, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic and fragmentary vertical sectional view of the stockline zone of a blast furnace wall which is constructed with the wearing elements of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view which is taken substantially along the line II-II of FIGURE 1 and shows in plan the staggered relation of the wearing elements in two rows relative to each other;

FIGURE 3 is a'perspective view that further shows the staggered arrangement of several wearing elements relative to each other in a pair of vertically spaced rows thereof and the manner in which such arrangement and the specific construction of such elements provide for the anchoring of two rows by a single anchoring ring;

FIGURE 4 is an enlargement of a fragmentary portion of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 illustrates the manner in which a steel plate is cut into several wear-resisting elements.

FIGURE 1 shows the construction of the stockliue zone 1 of a blast furnace. It comprises a refractory lining 2 in the furnace outer shell 3 that has a top ring 4 for supporting a hopper 5 in which a vertically movable charging bell 6 is suspended. Material M, such as iron ore, coke and limestone, to be charged to the furnace, is introduced to the hopper 5 through a small bell (not shown). Subsequently the large bell 6 is lowered and the material M thus drops downwardly into the furnace. The falling material is deflected outwardly by the bell 6 against the lining 2 in the stockline zone 1.

To protect the brickwork of the lining 2 against wear as the result of material being deflected against its inner surface in this manner, the stockline zone 1 of the lining 2 is provided with vertically spaced rows of wearing elements 7. Each of the elements 7 has a central portion 8, which is embedded between adjacent courses of brick in 7 spaces therebetween.

3,250,523 Patented May 10, 1966 the lining 2, and a depending flange 9 at one end thereof. By reason of their arrangement in vertically spaced rows, the flanges 9 form a protective covering or armor over the internal surface of the lining in the stockline zone thereof.

In accordance with this invention, the rows of wearing elements 7 are arranged in pairs of an upper row 7a and a lower row 7b in which anchoring flanges 10 at the other ends of the central portions 8 respectively project in opposite vertical directions. This arrangement renders a single anchoring ring 11 effective to anchor two rows 7a and 7b of the elements 7 against movement in a radial direction into the interior of a blast furnace and reduces the weight of steel required to hold the elements 7 anchored in the wall. The rings 11 are fabricated by welding a plurality of arcuate segments together and, as shown in FIGURE 4, each ring is centered in the space 12 between the rows 7:: and 7b by spacer blocks 13.

The arrangement of the elements 7 in pairs of two rows comprising an upper row 7a and a lower row and the specific construction of the flanges 10 for engagement by a single anchoring ring 11, more particularly, clears alternate spaces 14 between the vertical rows of elements 7, so that the brickwork in such spaces has a running bond that is continuous between the internal surface 15 and the external surface 16 of the lining 2. Each pair of rows 7a and 7b is thus supported by a shelf of brickwork in which the running bond is not interrupted at a central point by an anchoring flange as is the case with the brickwork that is directly opposite the anchoring flanges 10.

'The brickwork 17 between the rows 7a and 7b and the brickwork 18 radially outwardly with respect to the flanges 16 are thus not continuous from the top to the bottom of the stockline zone 1, but are interrupted by the shelves of brickwork in the spaces 14. The continuous running bond of the brickwork in the spaces 14 thus increases the strength of the wall from the standpoint of its ability to hold the elements 7 in position.

Further in accordance With the principles of this invention, opposite edges 20 of the central portions 8 converge in a direction from the depending flanges 9 toward the anchoring flanges 10. More specifically, the central portions 8 have the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, the base of which as defined by the flanges 9 preferably has a length about three times that of the anchoring flanges 10. By reason of this specific shape of the elements 7,

a saving in weight of approximately one-third is effected compared to conventional constructions in which each wearing element is fabricated from a rectangular plate and in which the anchoring flanges at their inner ends and wear plates 9 at their outer ends have the same length. As an example of the saving in weight that is eifected by the isosceles trapezoid shape of the elements 7, the weight of steel in one installation required for wearresisting plates was reduced from sixty tons to about forty tons. The manner in which each element 7 is cut from strip or rectangular plate is illustrated in FIGURE 5. After cutting in this manner the flanges 9 and 10 at opposite ends of the central portion 8 are formed by a bending operation.

The converging sides 20, as shown in FIGURE 3, provide for assembly of the elements 7 in staggered relation with the flanges 10 in the upper and lower rows 7a and 7b in overlapping relation and projecting into the This arrangement further enables all flanges 10 to be positioned at the same radial distance with respect to the wear plates 9 so that each of the flanges 10 has anchoring engagement with the ring 11. While the staggered arrangement of the elements 7 in the rows 7a and 712 represents the preferred construction of the invention, the elements 7 may be positioned in vertical alignment with each other, but in such case the central portions 8 in one of each pair of rows must be made longer by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the flanges 10 to provide for their overlapping relation so that they may be held by a single anchoring ring 11.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a wall for the stockline zone of a blast furnace, a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of upper and lower rows of wear-resisting elements, each of said wearresisting elements comprising a horizontal center plate embedded in the brickwork of the wall with a depending flange at one end thereof and an anchoring flange at the other end thereof, said depending flanges cooperating to form a protective covering for the inner surface of said wall, and anchoring rings respectively in the spaces between the said upper and lower rows in each of said pairs, the said anchoring flanges on the center plates in said upper rows and on the center plates-in said lower rows respectively projecting in opposite vertical directions and in overlapping relation thereby rendering each of said anchoring rings effective to hold the said wear-resisting elements in one of said pairs of rows against radial movement into said furnace.

Z. A blast furnace wall as defined in claim 1 characterized by said center plates having side edges that converge from their said one ends in a direction toward their said other ends.

3 A blast furnace wall as defined in claim 2 characterized by said center plate-s having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid.

4. A blast furnace wall as defined in claim 2 charac teriz ed by the said center plates in said upper rows being staggered with respect to the said center platesin said lower rows and by the anchoring flanges on the center plates in each of said pairs of rows being in holding engagement with anchoring ring therebetween.

5. In a wall for the stockline zone of a blast furnace, a plurality of vertically spaced rows of wear-resisting elements, said rows being arranged in pairs of an upper brickwork therein with a running bond that is continuous between the inner and outer surfaces of said wall.

7. In a wall for the stockline zone of a blast furnace, the combination with wear-resisting elements of the type arranged in vertically spaced rows and respectively 113N- ing a horizontal center plate embedded in the brickwork of .the Wall with a depending flange at one end thereof forming a protective covering for the inner surface of said wall, of means for holding said elements against radial movement into said furnace comprising anchoring rings respectively in alternate spaces between said rows, and anchoring flanges on the other ends of said center plates, the said anchoring flanges on the center plates in the rows immediately above and below each of said rings respectively projecting in opposite vertical directions for anchoring engagement with the anchoring ring betweenrespect to each of said anchoring rings, each of said wear-resisting elements comprising a horizontal center plate embedded between adjacent courses of brick in said wall and having a depending flange at one end thereof and an anchoring flange at the other end thereof, said depending flanges cooperating to form a protective covering for the inner surface of said wall, said anchoring flanges projecting in. opposite directions from the said center plates in each of said pairs of said upper and lower rows thereby rendering said anchoring rings effective to hold said wear-resisting elements against radial movement into said furnace, the said courses of brick between adjacent pairs of said rows of wear-resisting elements having a running bond-that is continuous between the said inner and outer surfaces of said wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNIT ED STATES PATENTS 936,308 10/1909 Cooke. 266-31 2,486,348 10/1949 Wehr 26643 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,590 8/1945 Great Britain.

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

JAMES H. TAYMAN, JR., Examiner. 

1. IN A WALL FOR THE STOCKLINE ZONE OF A BLAST FURNACE, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED PAIRS OF UPPER AND LOWER ROWS OF WEAR-RESISTING ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID WEARRESISTING ELEMENTS COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL CENTER PLATE EMBEDDED IN THE BRICKWORK OF THE WALL WITH A DEPENDING FLANGE AT ONE END THEREOF AND AN ANCHORING FLANGE AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID DEPENDING FLANGES COOPERATING TO FORM A PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WALL, AND ANCHORING RINGS RESPECTIVELY IN THE SPACES BETWEEN THE SAID UPPER AND LOWER ROWS IN EACH OF SAID PAIRS, THE SAID ANCHORING FLANGES ON THE CENTER PLATES IN SAID UPPER ROWS AND ONE THE CENTER PLATES IN SAID LOWER ROWS RESPECTIVELY PROJECTING IN OPPOSITE VERTICAL DIRECTIONS AND IN OVERLAPPING RELATION THEREBY RENDERING EACH OF SAID ANCHORING RINGS EFFECTIVE TO HOLD THE SAID WEAR-RESISTING ELEMENTS IN OEN OF SAID PAIRS OF ROWS AGAINST RADIAL MOVEMENT INTO SAID FURNACE. 